Too many post ops make separate meals for themselves! The idea of special food sends the message that eating well isn’t a good thing or that your new choices are a punishment. It’s a lot easier to simply shift the food supply where there are new better choices to replace old bad choices. If you are sly about it, no one needs to really know.
Most households have a gatekeeper – that person who is generally responsible for the care and feeding of the other family members. When this gatekeeper is morbidly obese, it is more likely that there will be other obese family members. Hate to tell you but we’ve been slowly killing our families.
It is common for entire families to lose weight when only one has had obesity surgery. If there are no Cokes, the pitcher of iced tea will taste great. When there are no Little Debbie Iced Honey Buns, the kids will eat baked apples after school. When there are fewer trips to McDonalds, there are no French Fries. Pretty simple stuff. You can’t eat bad choice foods when they are not there!
If you are the person who shops and cooks for the family and you have had weight loss surgery, you DON’T have to make yourself separate meals. Everyone in your family will love these delicious one dish or simple suppers – lots of flavor, lean protein with ‘good choice’ carbs that bring nutrients to the table. I hate to say they are healthy because I used to think that meant they didn’t taste good (((but they are healthy!!!)))
These tasty meals embody the most important rule for bariatric eating: PROTEIN FIRST FOLLOWED BY LOTS OF GOOD CARB VEGETABLES OR SALAD.
Let’s plan family meals for the week!
Monday: Taco Soup – a BariatricEating family favorite for years! Meat, beans, tomatoes, peppers, chili seasonings, the flavors of Mexico in a bowl! Yum.
Tuesday: Cheeseburger Pie – YES, it really does taste like a cheeseburger! There is 1/3 cup Bisquick mix in an entire pie that serves 6 (a bariatric post op eats a 1/2 portion) and only adds 3 carbs to your day. It’s delicious.
Wednesday: Swiss Steak – Beef Cubed Steak gets a quick simmer in smoky tomato sauce until super tender. Complete the meal with broccoli.
Thursday: Asian Turkey Salad with Peanut Dressing – Instead of turkey, make this main dish salad with a rotisserie chicken you pick up on the way home!
Friday: Chicken Crust Pizza – The flavors of pizza on a thin ‘crust’ made from seasoned ground chicken. Choose veggie toppings and go easy on the cheese to keep this one low in fat and calories.
Saturday: Smokey BBQ Chicken Sandwish with Honey Mustard dressing – turn boneless chicken breasts into smoked chopped chicken bbq in minutes!
Sunday: Cheesy Meatball Skillet – Learn to make the best meatballs. Serve to your family over angel hair or cavatappi macaroni with a green salad. Go easy on the cheese, its a garnish not a blanket!
Sugar Free Jello with Berries – Life needs a touch of sweetness – once a fortnight make a wonderful sugar free dessert and it will keep you on track!
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